Today, I'm looking at one of the earliest examples of a "set-piece shmup". Maybe that term actually exists and I didn't just make it up on a whim, but I'm too lazy to check. Basically, it has all of the bullet-dodging and enemy blasting you'd expect. It's just structured so that players are funneled from one set-piece to the next. If you'd ever imagine what it'd be like to fly through an endless field of flames, survive an asteroid field, launch a desperate attack on an alien's home base, then this is... What? You mean you've already experienced these events hundreds of times over? Alright, alright! Give me a break here! It was 1986, way back when such ideas were still novel. Anyway, Salamander tasks its players with surviving six stages of horizontal and vertical scrolling action.
It's worth noting that this shmup packs a full space adventure into a crisp 15 minutes. Konami designed this game to deliver instant action. The Gradius-system where power-ups are spent to equip various armaments was excised for standard weapon pick-ups. The second you destroy an item-carrying enemy, the most electronic voice you've ever heard says "Pick it up for Multiple." or "Pick it up for Laser." You'll definitely want a full set of multiples (or options), a laser or ripple cannon, and at least one speed-up. If you're shot down, lost multiples can be re-acquired before they fly offscreen, but otherwise deaths are tough to recover from. There aren't any checkpoints, but since the game is always moving at a fast pace, the chances that you'll get blasted while scrambling are fairly high.
Besides the works of Akiragoya, bio-horror is a theme that's rarely explored in shmups, so I was really stoked to see a first stage filled with intestines, sharp bones, and a giant brain for a boss. Everything afterwards isn't quite as impactful, but Salamander still managed a few images that have imprinted themselves permanently upon my psyche. The most notable of which are the huge arcs of fire in stage 3. I never get tired of seeing them, even when they turn my Vic Viper to ash. Stages 2 & 5 are full of asteroids to avoid and ships to shoot. Stage 4 has active volcanos as well as several targets in the air and on the ground. Yes, there's a Xevious-styled bombing system that makes a couple appearances. A bit odd, but I guess that ties back into this being a "set-piece shmup". The final stage features everything from Gradius 1 bosses to a thrilling escape as the walls close in. Semi-random aside, but if you decide to check out the PC Engine port of Salamander, be ready for a potentially nightmarish encounter with jumping Moai heads. Unlike the arcade original, this port has checkpoints, and trying to survive those hopping jokers with default weaponry is an absolute trial.
The one constant in all of these different scenarios is that being in the right spot at the right moment is the key to winning. That's expected of the shmup genre, but I'd argue it goes further than that. The 4th boss can be nearly impossible or impossible to lose, it all depends on where your Vic Viper is positioned at the beginning of the fight. A battalion of bullet-spewing ships will mount a prolonged assault near the end of stage 5, but if you and your multiples are situated just so, then it's nothing to stress over. There is some trial and error at work here, which greatly extends the amount of time needed to finish this 15-minute game. I imagine everyone was a Tower of Druaga fan in 1986, so maybe a little of that game's design philosophy crept into Salamander.
Anyone who manages to complete the game. First off, congrats are in order, this can be a tough cookie. Secondly, it's time to grit those teeth for the next loop. Interestingly, the second loop isn't just a case of "have some more bullets". Stage 1 features more regenerating walls, and the boss fight takes place in a smaller arena. More surprises await the few players who manage to get further than that. By the way, there aren't any ways to earn extra lives. Maybe this was Konami's method for keeping all the Gradius maniacs out there from practically owning the machine.
Salamander was brought to the west as Life Force, receiving a slew of cosmetic changes in the process. Now the Vic Viper is entering a gigantic space alien and attempting to destroy its brain. Mr. Speak & Spell now mentions where in the body you're currently at, and to watch out for - among other things - kidney stones. Yeah, so uh... stage 2 is packed to the brim with kidney stones. Stage 4 takes place in the liver, where there are more kidney stones. Then you get to stage 5 and there are kidney stones in the lungs! Wow. Absolutely cursed! You have to appreciate the deep lore here. This gigantic space alien is passing hundreds of stones a minute. These indestructible rocks eventually make their way to random planets, wiping out entire civilizations like a meteor shower.
Moving on...
Salamander is fine. Totally fine. I'd be a lot less forgiving of this STG's quirks if it came out anytime past 1986. The 4th boss being a total ass unless you know "that one weird trick" is just rude game-design. Everything else? Perfectly solid, as expected of Konami's arcade endeavors. Do make an effort to try the superb PC Engine port. It's a little more forgiving, but not at the expense of a good stiff challenge.
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